The husband of a Formula One heiress has a secret pet peeve: tipping low wage workers.
Luxury real estate agent Sam Palmer is married to Petra Ecclestone, who is set to inherit the billions amassed by her father, Bernie Ecclestone, the former chief executive of the F1 group who has an estimated net worth of $2.4 billion, according to Forbes.
Palmer took to Instagram on Tuesday, from the couch of his $30.5 million Los Angeles mansion to speak his insanely out-of-touch truth.
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“Today’s pet hate: tipping of staff. You have to do it everywhere now,” he said. “Order a coffee, go to the bakery, Flip that little screen over, 15, 20, 25% And they stand there right where you press it, so you always have to press 20%. What the fuck for, ordering a drink? That’s what I’m supposed to do,” he sneered, clearly aggrieved by the immense financial burden.
“What are you gonna say? ‘Oh, but these people don’t get paid, they only get paid on tips!’ How on Earth have we bought into that?” he asked. “Restaurateurs don’t pay for their staff but the customer does,” he continued. Stopping short of suggesting that businesses pay their staff a livable wage, he began complaining about the quality of service he’s experienced.
“It used to be that you used to get good service. Now the service is pretty much shit everywhere you go. And if you don’t pay it they chase you out the restaurant, like you’re some sort of leper. Fuck off!”
“Tips,” the millionaire sighed. “We’re the plebs.” While it’s unlikely that Palmer has been physically chased out of any businesses, we might officially recommend he start checking his food for spit after his latest little tirade.
California, where Palmer lives, officially raised the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 an hour on Tuesday, the result of huge organizing efforts by workers. The state’s minimum wage was previously set at $16 an hour.
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator has recommended that the cost of living in California requires a wage of at least $27.32. In several states, the minimum wage remains $7.25, or less.
On Wednesday, Palmer posted another video lampooning the “temperature of drinks in Starbucks.” If he continues at this rate, Palmer may soon exhaust all of the options to purchase drinks, sans spit.
